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Monday, October 12, 2015

Release Blitz: Imperfect by Cherry Shephard

Author:
Cherry Shephard

Title:
Imperfect

Series:
Blaze of Glory

Release
Date: October 21, 2015

US Special Forces, Staff Sergeant
Ethan Stone, lives by one mantra “fight or die”.The army is his life, his men are his family. So
when an injury sends him home from Afghanistan, the nightmares of what he’s
witnessed, can no longer be kept at bay. The alcohol he drowns himself in every
night only sinks him further into depression’s abyss.Waking after one of his benders, Stone is greeted
by a tiny, knife wielding firecracker and one destroyed bar.

Saddles, was meant to be her escape. A new start
away from an abusive relationship and a way to fulfill her daddy’s dying wish.
But all the bar has brought Shannon is debt collectors and pushy buyers
threatening to destroy her. And to top all that off one drunken, gorgeous idiot.

The last thing she needed was a handsome, angry
ex-soldier to distract her.

All he wanted, was to pay for the damages. But
when she refuses there is only one thing he can do. But when a familiar face
from his past changes everything, can they learn to work together?

She turns over in bed and I look at her,
expecting to see regret in her eyes. Instead, I see understanding. This woman,
this . . . angel, has come to me in my greatest time of need. I swallow past a
sudden lump in my throat, too overcome with emotion to speak. She doesn’t say
anything but leans over to kiss my cheek. I turn my head at the last second,
capturing her lips with my own. This kiss is different, though; it’s softer,
gentler. I nibble lightly on her bottom lip and feel her smile. Her hand travels
down my chest to the waistband of my jeans but instead of pulling them off like
I expect, her hand disappears beneath my shirt. I tense, not ready for her to
see that vulnerable side of me. I’m too scarred; she’s going to take one look
at my body and run. I grab her hand and pull it out of my shirt, but she’s felt
them. The scars. I can see the horror on her face. She’s going to leave. I
brace myself for the rejection I know is coming… But it doesn’t. I flinch as
she pushes my shirt up, exposing my scars to her gaze. The light from the lamp
casts our shadows on the wall, and I choose to look at that rather than the
horror on her face. She’s silent. Too silent. What the hell is she thinking? I
risk a glance, and my heart almost stops beating from what I see. Tears. She’s
fucking crying. For me. “I’m sorry,” she cries, wiping away her tears. I want
to fucking laugh. She’s crying for me, and apologizing for doing it. “Don’t.” I
smile, leaning up and capturing her hand in my own. I press my lips against it,
tasting the slightly salty tang of her tears on her fingers. “Why are you
crying?” “Look at what they did to you,” she whispers through her tears. “Keets
told me you were captured, but he never told me this.” Keets told her? I should
be angry, but I guess a part of me is glad she knew. It would explain why she
didn’t run the second she saw the scars. “Will you tell me?” she asks, but I
shake my head. I can’t do it. She’s opened a part of my heart tonight that I
thought would lie dormant forever. But this, this past that I come from, this
weight that I carry . . . it’s mine. I can’t burden her with it. She
understands. I don’t even have to say anything. I swallow past another lump in
my throat as she kisses the long, jagged scar on my ribs. I have a tattoo there,
covering the worst of it. I’m covered in tattoos, actually, most of them on my
chest and arms. All designed to hide the imperfect body that lies beneath them.
But she makes it bearable. Her kiss is soft, fleeting. Not enough, though.
Never enough. This time, when she tries to take my shirt off, I let her. This
time, we make love. It’s gentle, slower. I want to show her the same kindness
she’s shown me. She takes me to heights far beyond my fear and insecurities.
This time, I make love to her as Ethan, the man . . . not Stone, the injured
soldier.

I’m going to start off by
saying, I licked Stone first and he is mine. Sorry, Mischelly ;)

Cherry Shephard has
delivered a story that will tear at your heartstrings and soak your panties all
at the same time.Stone is the kind of
damaged man that you want to just hug. His life has been a series of heartbreaks
one after another. His intentions for joining the US Special Forces are
honorable, but those around him don’t fully understand his need to fight for
his country.The nightmares of his time
there affect him deeply as most soldiers would admit themselves.His life crumbles around him until another
damaged soul lands in his path.

Shannon is a beautifully
haunted soul.She has fought and
scrapped for everything good in her life. Inheriting her father’s bar provides
her with a chance to escape her life and re-build it the way she wants to live.
Yet, life as a bar owner has it ups and downs especially when her father left
more than just the bar behind.Darkness
creeps back into her life just when she meets a guy who needs help and love far
greater than any man she’s ever met before.The feelings and attraction to this handsome stranger rock her world in
more than one way.

Yet, life has an unexpected
way to kick you in the teeth just when you finally find peace.Darkness never stays settled for long
andboth Stone and Shannon are thrown
back into the cross hairs.

Miss Shephard’s book covers
so many struggles that soldier’s face in real life. PTSD is real and for her to
cover this topic in such a truthful manner honestly floored me. Some authors
may sugar coat or detract from the seriousness of the condition, but Shephard
left nothing out.She took Stone to a
dark place that is realistic to the truth of PTSD.

My quite literally ached for
each character as the story progressed. Stone and Shannon both have their
problems, but together what they are faced with is far from easy.Shephard will bring you to your knees in
tears and beaming from ear to ear.This
book is amazing and should be at the top of your TBR pile.Congratulations, Cherry Shephard. This book
is amazing!

Cherry Shephard loves Jared
Leto, that’s no secret.

She also writes beautifully
dark erotic romance stories, focusing on honour and redemption. Her men are
dark and strong, with just enough vulnerability to make you believe you could
save them. Her women are tough, beautiful and can hold their own.

When not writing, Cherry can be
found indulging her other obsession, watching horror movies.

Cherry lives in Queensland,
Australia, with Mr. S, her three children, three cats, three dogs and 4 hermit
crabs.